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FIELD  COLUMBIAN  MUSEUM 

PUBLICATION  80. 
ZOOLOGICAL  SERIES.  VOL.  III.,  No.  13. 


DESCRIPTIONS 


OF 


APPARENTLY    NEW   SPECIES 
OF    MAMMALS 


OF 


THE  GENERA   HETEROMYS   AND   URSUS 
FROM  WASHINGTON  AND  MEXICO 


BY 


D.  G.  ELLIOT.  F.  R.  S.  E., 

Curator  of  the  Department. 


CHICAGO,  U.  S.  A. 

June,   1903. 


DESCRIPTIONS    OF    APPARENTLY     NEW    SPECIES 

OF  MAMMALS   OF  THE   GENERA    HETERO- 

MYS    AND    URSUS    FROM  MEXICO 

AND   WASHINGTON. 


BY   D.  G.  ELLIOT,  F.R.S.E.,  ETC. 


FAM.   HETEROMYINyE. 

HETEROMYS. 
Heteromys  (Liomys)*  paralius.     Sp.  nov. 

Type  locality.     San  Carlos,  State  of  Vera  Cruz,  Mexico. 

General  character.  Similar  to  H.  texensis.  Size  large;  tail 
long,  usually  white  tipped;  grayish  patch  behind  ears;  ears  large. 
Skull  with  a  greater  occipito-nasal  length,  and  the  zygomata  slightly 
wider. 

Color.  Top  of  head  and  back  behind  shoulders  blackish  brown, 
mixed  with  reddish,  the  base  of  hairs  grayish;  back  of  ears  and 
sides  of  head  and  body  grayish,  with  blackish  brown  hairs  inter- 
mingled; lateral  stripe  bright  buff,  extending  from  nose  to  thighs; 
nose  and  upper  lip,  hands,  and  feet  white;  under  parts  yellowish 
white;  a  patch  of  orange-buff  on  each  side  of  root  of  tail.  Tail 
above  black,  beneath  whitish,  with  an  all-around  white  tip. 

Measurements.  Total  length,  255;  tail  vertebrae,  136;  hind  foot, 
29.  Skull:  occipito-nasal,  length,  33;  Hensel,  23;  interorbital 
constriction,  8;  zygomatic  width,  15;  length  of  nasals,  12;  palatal 
length,  13;  length  of  upper  molar  series,  4;  length  of  mandible,  13; 
length  of  lower  molar  series,  4. 

In  general  appearance  this  form  resembles  H.  texensis,  but  is 
larger,  with  larger  ears,  and  a  noticeable  gray  patch  behind  the  ears, 
extending  onto  the  side  of  neck,  and  on  the  majority  of  the  speci- 
mens a  white  tip  to  the  tail  of  varying  extent.  In  the  type  the 
white  occupies  twenty-eight  mm-,  of  the  apical  length.  A  dozen 
specimens  were  sent  to  the  museum  by  Mr.  N.  G.  Buxton  from  San 
Carlos,  State  of  Vera  Cruz,  Mexico. 

<7,  belonging  to  the  coast. 
233 


234  FIELD  COLUMBIAN  MUSEUM  —  ZOOLOGY,  VOL.  III. 


FAM. 

URSUS. 

Ursus  altifrontalis.     Sp.  nov. 

Type  locality.  Shore  of  Lake  Crescent,  Clallam  County, 
Washington. 

General  character.  Skull:  forehead,  very  broad  and  high,  bulging 
on  sides  anteriorly,  and  rounded  on  top;  nasals,  long,  broad,  upper 
outline  concave,  the  posterior  end  rising  high  on  forehead,  and 
extending  considerably  beyond  the  ends  of  the  maxillae.  Upper 
outline  of  skull  exceedingly  convex,  highest  at  anterior  portion  of 
frontals,  and  descending  rapidly,  anteriorly  and  posteriorly;  occipital 
crest  prominent;  zygomatic  arches  widely  flaring;  basioccipital  and 
basisphenoid  very  broad,  the  latter  rounded  anteriorly,  not  pointed; 
pterygoid  fossa  short,  broadest  anteriorly  and  rounded;  palate  of 
nearly  equal  breadth  from  posterior  margin  of  last  molar  to  incisors: 
muzzle  broad  and  heavy,  greatly  swollen  at  base  of  canines;  teeth 
greatly  worn,  majority  of  the  molars  smooth,  their  characteristics 
not  perceptible. 

Color.     Black,  nose  tan  color. 

Measurements.  .  Skull:  total  length,  300;  occipito-  nasal  length, 
287;  Hensel,  255;  zygomatic  width,  190;  interorbital  constriction, 
75;  across  postorbital  processes,  106;  length  of  nasals,  80;  width 
anteriorly,  32;  palatal  length,  138:  width  of  posterior  end  of 
last  molar,  47;  at  anterior  end  of  first  molar,  45;  at  posterior 
edge  of  canine,  40;  breadth  of  muzzle  at  outer  sides  of  canines,  68; 
greatest  breadth  of  basioccipital,  49  ;  of  basispenoid,  30  ;  palatal 
arch  to  end  of  pterygoid,  50;  length  of  crown  of  last  molar,  27; 
width,  15;  from  anterior  edge  of  canine  to  posterior  edge  of  last 
molar,  alveolar  border;  TOO;  length  of  mandible  from  angle  to  sym- 
physis  on  top,  202;  height  at  condyle,  32;  at  coronoid  process,  86; 
length  of  lower  molar  series,  alveolar  border,  66. 

The  specimen  above  described  was  killed  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Crescent,  near  the  road  connecting  that  body  of  water  with  Lake 
Sutherland.  The  skull  was  figured  in  my  paper  on  the  mammals  of 
the  Olympic  Mountains,  and  mention  was  made  in  the  text  of  the 
exceedingly  high  forehead,  and  the  possibility  of  the  example  repre- 
senting a  distinct  form.  On  comparing  this  skull  with  those  of  black 
bears  from  other  parts  of  the  United  States,  and  with  those  of  cinna- 
mon bears,  from  Copper  Mines,  New  Mexico,  types  of  Baird's  U. 
cinnamomeus,  and  from  the  Sierra  Madre,  State  of  Chihuahua, 


JUNE,   1903.  NEW  SPECIES  OF  MAMMALS — ELLIOT.  235 

Mexico,  the  peculiarities  mentioned  in  the  description  were  more 
conspicuous  and  distinctive,  and  separated  this  animal  as  worthy  of 
a  different  specific  rank.  While  the  skull  is  much  shorter  in  total 
length  than  those  of  the  great  cinnamon  bears  of  New  and  Old 
Mexico,  it  is  nevertheless  considerably  broader  across  the  postorbital 
processes,  and  the  forehead  much  higher  and  more  prominent,  and 
differs  from  them  also  in  other  ways,  while  the  superior  outline 
and  general  configuration  of  the  skull  is  quite  different  from  that  of 
any  American  black  bear  that  I  have  seen. 

The  only  name  heretofore  given  to  the  bears  of  the  northwest 
portion  of  the  United  States,  exclusive  of  Alaska  and  the  islands 
off  British  Columbia,  is  Ursus  amblyceps,  proposed  by  Kaird,  U. 
S.  and  Mex.  Bound.  Surv. ,  1859,  p.  20,  Mamm.,  for  a  cinnamon 
bear  from  Oregon.  He  had  only  a  skin,  and  no  skull,  and  was 
unable  to  give  any  characters  by  which  his  supposed  species  could  be 
recognized.  Whether  the  Oregon  cinnamon  bear  is  a  distinct  species 
from  other  cinnamon  bears,  or  is  identical  with  the  black  bears  of 
that  and  neighboring  states,  I  know  not,  but  this  name  amblyceps,  as 
it  describes  nothing,  and  represents  no  tangible  characters  of  any 
kind,  is  a  nomen  nudum,  and  consequently  without  standing  scientific 
or  otherwise,  and  until  authenticated  skulls  of  the  cinnamon  bears 
of  Oregon  and  Washington  are  obtained  it  will  be  impossible  to  give 
any  decision  as  to  their  specific  standing,  no  matter  how  many  robes 
may  be  in  evidence.  The  Ursus  carlottce,  Osgood,  N.  Am.  Faun.,  No. 
21,  1901,  p.  30,  from  Queen  Charlotte  Islands,  in  having  a  slender 
rostrum  and  cranium  less  arched  than  is  exhibited  in  skulls  of  U. 
americanus,  is  evidently  distinct  from  the  present  species  with  its 
exceedingly  high  forehead. 

Ursus  machetes.*     Sp.  nov. 

Type  locality.  Casa  Grande,  Sierra  Madre,  State  of  Chihuahua, 
Mexico. 

General  character.  Color,  cinnamon;  skull  long,  frontals  broad, 
raised  above  level  of  face;  nasals  very  broad,  posterior  ends  on  a  line 
with  ends  of  maxillae;  superior  outline  convex,  highest  just  behind 
postorbital  processes,  and  declining  gradually  anteriorly,  sharply 
posteriorly;  occipital  crest  prominent,  extending  forward  to  coronal 
suture;  zygomatic  arches  very  wide  ;  basioccipital  and  basisphenoid 
wide;  pterygoid  fossa  equal  in  width  throughout  its  length,  broad 
and  rounded  anteriorly;  mandible  heavy,  deep  beneath  last  molar; 
coronoid  process  very  broad,  and  rounded  on  top  without  hook  over 

fighter. 


236  FIELD  COLUMBIAN  MUSEUM — ZOOLOGY,  VOL.  III. 

posterior  margin;  upper  and  lower  molars  much  worn,  the  larger 
one  quite  smooth,  so  that  their  characteristics  are  absent. 

Color.     Cinnamon. 

Measurements.  Skull:  total  length,  315:  occipito- nasal  length, 
282;  Hensel,  267;  zygomatic  width,  196;  interorbital  width,  75; 
across  postorbital  processes,  103;  mastoid  width,  132;  posterior 
width  of  basioccipital,  39 ;  length  of  pterygoid  fossa,  49 ;  palatal 
length,  145;  length  of  nasals,  75;  anterior  width  of  nasals,  30;  width 
at  mid-length  of  nasals,  26;  anterior  edge  of  canine  to  posterior 
edge  of  last  molar,  alveolar  border,  99;  length  of  last  molar,  crown, 
24;  width,  19;  width  of  palate  at  anterior  edge  of  last  molar,  53; 
between  canines  at  posterior  edge,  46;  breadth  of  muzzle  at  outer 
side  of  canines,  66;  length  of  mandible,  angle  to  symphysis  on 
top,  212;  height  at  condyle,  36;  at  coronoid  process  from  angle, 
89;  breadth  of  coronoid  process  above  condyle,  62;  length  of  condyle, 
65;  length  of  lower  molar  series,  alveolar  border,  58. 

Baird  in  Rep.  U.  S.  and  Mex.  Bound.  Surv.,  Mamm.,  1859,  p.  29,  pi. 
19,  describes  a  brown  bear  from  Copper  Mines,  New  Mexico,  as  U. 
cinnamomeus.  Through  the  kindness  of  my  friend  Mr.  G.  S.  Miller, 
Jr.,  of  the  National  Museum,  I  have  the  three  skulls  of  Baird's  speci- 
mens, Nos.  991,  992,  and  994,  before  me.  They  are  smaller,  narrower, 
and  generally  lighter  than  the  skulls  of  the  Mexican  bear,  with  the 
superior  outline  like  that  of  the  skull  of  the  eastern  black  bear.  The 
nasals  are  much  narrower  and  less  rounded  at  the  posterior  ends; 
the  width  across  postorbital  processes  much  less,  94.74,  to  103  in  U. 
machetes;  the  greatest  zygomatic  width  is  only  177.80,  to  196,  and  the 
width  between  orbits  64.17,  to  77  in  the  new  species;  while  the  width 
of  the  palate  at  the  posterior  margin  of  last  molars  is  48  to  55.  It  will 
be  seen  by  these  measurements  that  the  Mexican  animal  has  a  con- 
siderably wider  skull  with  broader  nasals.  The  superior  outline  is 
also  more  convex,  and  the  forehead  more  prominent.  The  pterygoid 
fossa  is  shaped  very  differently,  being  much  broader  for  its  entire 
length,  and  nearly  as  wide  at  its  anterior  termination  as  between  the 
tips  of  the  pterygoids.  The  mandible  is  very  heavy,  and  the  coronoid 
process  is  very  wide  at  its  base,  with  a  gradual  inclination  of  its  an- 
terior outline  backward  to  the  rounded  tip,  with  the  posterior  outline 
slightly  curved  at  top,  and  then  nearly  straight  to  the  condyle,  with- 
out any  hook,  very  different  from  the  same  process  in  U.  cinnamomeus 
with  its  tip  rounded  for  its  entire  width,  and  prominent  posterior 
hook.  The  molar  series  are  shorter,  50.5,  to  68.58  of  the  New  Mexi- 
can species,  and  still  shorter  than  that  of  U.  americanus. 

Two  skulls  of  U.  machetes  are  in  the  collection  of   this  institution, 


JUNE,   1903.  NEW  SPECIES  OF  MAMMALS — ELLIOT.  237 

and  the  skins  of  the  animals  are  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  L.  C.  San- 
ford,  New  Haven,  Conn.,  who  shot  the  type  specimen. 

I  am  told  that  in  the  district  in  which  these  bears  were  taken 
there  are  no  black  ones,  the  young  being  cinnamon  like  the 
parents. 


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